Australian PM hints Putin may dropped from G20 summit over MH17 crash

The prime minister of Australia, currently presiding over the G20, has hinted the Russian president could be dropped from the next summit in Brisbane over the MH17 crash in Ukraine. This came even before international investigators made it to the scene.

“We take a very, very dim view of this and the idea that
Russia can wash its hands of responsibility because this happened
in Ukrainian airspace just does not stand serious scrutiny. We
all know what's happening in the Ukraine,” Tony Abbott said
at a press conference on Saturday.

The Malaysian Airlines MH17 flight went down crashed in Ukraine
Thursday. Among the 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board
the perished were 28 Australians.

The Australian government “takes a very dim view of countries
which facilitate the killing of Australians, as you'd expect us
to,” Abbott said.

International investigation of the MH17 flight incident has not
started yet, but Kiev has already attempted to present
questionable evidence against the eastern self-defense forces,
accusing them of taking down the Boeing.

Asked about possible ban of Russia (and its leader) from the next
G20 summit to be held in Australia’s Brisbane on November 15-16,
Abbott stated:

“Australia is a self-respecting country. We are a
self-respecting country. And obviously we want to ensure that
visitors to this country have goodwill to this country.

“Visitors to [Australia] are people who have done the right
thing by this country. And let's hope that that's exactly what we
will find in the weeks and months ahead,” he said.

Just hours before the crash of Malaysian Airlines MH17 flight,
Abbott was saying the summit is not a security venue.

“The G20 is an economic forum, but not a forum on security
issues. Therefore the opportunities for cooperation in the field
of economy remain stable regardless of what one country can think
of other countries or their actions on the geopolitical
arena,” Euronews quoted Abbott’s speech at the B20 Australia Summit.

“The investigation needs to take place,” Tony Abbott
said on Saturday, in this regard being on the same page with
President Putin, who was actually the first world leader to
demand an international inquiry into the MH17
flight crash in Ukraine.

Commemorating victims of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash
at a church service in Sydney on Sunday, Abbott demanded Russia's
full cooperation so that a credible investigation into the causes
of the accident could be conducted, AP reported.

On the day the catastrophe occurred, Putin called an emergency
meeting of the national Security Council, saying the catastrophe
must be investigated thoroughly and objectively.

Expressing condolences to the families of the victims, Putin
stressed that he ordered Russian military to “provide all
necessary help in investigation of this criminal act,” as
well as demanding the Russian government to make everything
within its powers to contribute to “thorough investigation of
this event.”

Despite presence on international observers from the OSCE at the
site of the crash, Abbott maintained that, “Quite possibly
there are attempts in place to sanitize the site. The site needs
to be secure.”

The OSCE observers monitoring the crash site complained about
over-vigilant self-defense militia sealing off the crash scene,
but observers admitted the self-defense fighters were providing
security.

“What we see here is that there is certain security as you
witnessed yourself at the perimeter, and that there is now also
work being done on the bodies, they are being collected, being
brought to the road,” Alexander Hug, deputy head of the OSCE
mission told
AP.

“My fear is that Russia will say the right thing, but that on
the ground interference with the site, interference with
investigators, interference with the dignified treatment of the
bodies will continue. That's my fear,” Abbott said.

The fears of the Australian PM about the state of bodies are
partially grounded, as the temperature at the crash site is
reaching +29 degrees Celsius in the daytime. On Saturday, the
emergency teams started to bring the already found bodies to five
refrigerated railroad cars brought to the
nearby Torez railway station, reported RIA Novosti.